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Re: What is this?
Posted: 29 Dec 2015, 22:33
by vettepilot_6
Tiaris wrote:How far north are you Arthur (roughly)?
I'd say about 9hrs north of Brissie......

Re: What is this?
Posted: 31 Dec 2015, 09:05
by arthur
No activity for last few days . .
Things may have gone pear-shaped
Re: What is this?
Posted: 10 Jan 2016, 11:27
by arthur
Hen is back in attendance at nest, and would say that she has started to lay
About 6 weeks after beginning of nest construction
Long delay between nest completion and egg laying may be to convince predators that the nest is abandoned(?)
Certainly had me fooled
They regularly nest around the place but I have never really paid much attention to the timing of things
Re: What is this?
Posted: 29 Jan 2016, 07:42
by arthur
Frequent comings and goings indicate chicks???
Will try for a new photo
Re: What is this?
Posted: 01 Feb 2016, 17:08
by arthur
Looks like an unhappy conclusion . .
No sign of hen at nest for about 3 days and no sign of the pair round their favourite source of nectar
Re: What is this?
Posted: 03 Feb 2016, 19:34
by vettepilot_6
Here is an occupied nest at my Aunts in Port Douglas....

Re: What is this?
Posted: 03 Feb 2016, 20:14
by arthur
Well she is one up on me, as my nest is definitely 'cactus'
And as I said before the parent birds are also missing in action
Will check the nest tomorrow for eggs or dead young
Re: What is this?
Posted: 04 Feb 2016, 08:15
by COUNTRY CAPITAL
hope all those scaly predators you get weren't responsible Arthur.
an aside....are you anywhere near ayr ?
just had friends stay for the country music festival, they live on the Burdekin as sugarcane farmers.
the stories they told of crimson finches in the cane were amazing. when they burn/harvest they go in all directions in their dozens.
when I informed that they go for $200+ per pair they were considering diversifying there income stream for a while....

Re: What is this?
Posted: 04 Feb 2016, 10:58
by arthur
Nest completely empty
Plenty of snakes about, looking for water in this hot dry weather
A snake may have taken the parents at the flowering bush that they favour, but the weight of a snake would have pulled the nest down (protection for the sitting hen?)
My prime suspects are geckoes. Others have said that these little !@#$ will not take baby birds but I am 99% sure that they can and do take newly hatched chicks of finch sized birds
As VP's pic shows the sitting hen will not flush at night, but she vacates the nest pretty quickly during the day, allowing the geckoes to do their dirtywork
Re: What is this?
Posted: 09 Oct 2016, 12:53
by arthur
Sunbirds back & started building 2 days ago at same site
Bit earlier this year
Won't post any pix till (hopefully) she starts incubating